


Sweet Treat

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [204]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-11 05:36:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19921444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: What kind of adult gives a kid ice cream for dinner?“The kind who won’t be babysitting my son again in a hurry,” Jack groused quietly as Charlie squealed in delight.





	Sweet Treat

**Author's Note:**

> Written for either ‘Junk Food Day’ or ‘Ice Cream Day’ (21 July).

Jack pushed Charlie on the swing once more and sighed. He was going to kill Daniel when he saw him in work tomorrow.

_What kind of adult gives a kid ice cream for dinner?_

“The kind who won’t be babysitting my son again in a hurry,” Jack groused quietly as Charlie squealed in delight.

“Higher, dad! _Higher!_ ”

He glanced at his watch and grimaced. It was now after twenty-hundred hours and well after Charlie’s bedtime. Holding tightly onto the chains, Jack brought the swing to a smooth stop.

“I don’t think so kid,” he said. “We can come back tomorrow, but for now you need to go to bed.”

“I’m not tired.”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded as he helped him off the swing and took his hand, “you are. You just don’t know it yet.”

“Promise we can come back tomorrow?”

“I promise,” he confirmed, “once you finish your homework.”

“I hate homework.”

“Everyone hates homework.”

_“It’s boring!”_

“Charlie,” Jack sighed, trying really hard to remember that it wasn’t his son’s fault if he still had far too much energy to burn and was in a very argumentative mood. “ _I know._ Look,” he added a moment later, pausing to crouch down beside him, “how about we make a deal?”

Charlie’s eyes lit up and Jack couldn’t help but smile.

“If you agree to do your homework, I’ll help you with it – that means we’ll finish it sooner and –”

“The sooner we can go to the park?”

“That’s my boy!”

He held his breath and waited as Charlie thought over his offer.

“Okay,” he finally nodded, before grinning widely as they started to near the parking lot. “Race you to your truck, daddy!”

As Charlie escaped his grip, Jack had only a second to notice the jogger a few feet away.

_“Charlie, wait!”_

He winced as he tried to grab his son and missed, while the jogger also saw Charlie at the last second and tried to avoid knocking him down, resulting in her running straight into Jack instead.

_“Oh!”_

_“Ow!”_

Jack just managed to stay on his feet, but the woman wasn’t as fortunate.

“Crap,” he muttered, kneeling down beside her. “I’m sorry, I –”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted as she sat up, although Jack could tell she was in pain, no matter how much she tried to hide it. “I – ah – wasn’t exactly paying attention,” she finished quietly, a flush spreading across her face that had nothing to do with running.

“Here,” Jack said, offering her a hand. “Charlie, get back here. _Please._ ”

The woman’s gaze slowly shifted from Jack’s face to his sons and her expression softened.

Jack gently nudged him forward. “What do you say?”

“I’m sorry ma’am,” the little boy mumbled. “I didn’t see you.”

She smiled, but Jack couldn’t help but notice it looked more like a grimace. “It’s okay,” she insisted.

As she continued to speak to Charlie, Jack found his gaze roaming over the stranger; her blonde hair and blue eyes, the well-worn gray USAF t-shirt and shorts, legs for days –

He felt a tug on his hand and he blinked to find Charlie staring at him, as well as the jogger. He tried to ignore the smile tugging at the corner of her lips, however at having been caught staring.

“Uh… huh?”

“The lady said thank you, daddy.”

He frowned. “Oh. Uh…”

“For helping me back to my feet.”

She chuckled softly at his confusion and something inside of Jack that had long since lay dormant cracked open and came alive at the sound.

“Well,” he shrugged, “it was kind of our fault you ended up on your a– ah – well, you know.”

She dipped her head at his almost slip-up, letting her gaze fall to her feet. It was only then, Jack noticed she was favoring her left elbow.

“Are you hurt?”

“Hmm?” When she realized she was rubbing at the joint, she let her hand fall to her side and her expression cleared. “It’ll be fine.”

“Still,” Jack said, taking a half-step forward, “maybe you should get it checked out.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay, but I really should be going.”

Moving around them both, she gave them one final smile and Jack could do nothing but watch her leave. Then, he started to berate himself for letting her go. He tried to convince himself it was because she was nursing an injury, and not just because he thought she was really, _really_ pretty.

With a heavy sigh, he took Charlie’s hand in his and cast one final glance in the direction the woman had disappeared. He suddenly realized he didn’t even know her name.


End file.
